Open-top-drier system.



v R. c. PENFIEL D.

OPEN TOP DRIER SYSTEM..

APPLICATION FILED IAN-29, I9I4- I 1,%43,212. Patented Oct.16,1917.I

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@Zficesseaz Gpgryew 12, 3f 3W R. C. PENFIELD.

OPEN TOP DRIER SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.29, I914.

Patented Oct. 16, 1917.

flay/W. 4 [510m I v fig noifi C 7 67 65625), 1% JW R. C. PENFIELD.

' OPEN TOP DRIER SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-29.1914.

' 1,243,212. Patented Oct. 16,1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

H. C. PENFIELD.

OPEN TOP DRIER SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED JAN-.29,1914.

1,243,212. Patented Oct. 16,1917.

5 sHEETs-SHE'ET 4.

R. c. IPENFIELD.

OPEN TOP DRIER SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-29, 1914.

1,243,212, Patented Oct. 16,1917.

5 SHEETSSHEET 5.

55- g 52 mm)...

WNW 'w h RAYMOND C; PENFIELD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ornn-ror-nnrnn SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 16, 1917;

Application filed January 29,1914. Serial No. 815,166.

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, RAYMOND O. PEN- FIELD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York city, county and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Open-Top-Drier Systems, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to improvements in the art of brick making and more particularly to a novel system and devices for use in the making, hacking, drying and transporting of the brick from the brick die to the kiln, the present application being directed to claim the apparatus, pallets, drier, etc., while the novel method is described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 732,824, filed November 22, 1912.

The ordinary method at present used in the manufacture of brick preliminary to the kiln burning, is to pile green brick in open formation for the drying and then to repile them in a relatively closer formation for burning. Heretofore the driers have been made in the form of tunnels, the heated air being taken in at one end and the moisture laden air passed out at the other. Also cars have been employed to carry bricks, piled in open formation, into these driers, but in practice this method has been found objectionable, the metal in the cars being rapidly corroded by sulfur and like gasesfroin the heat supplying furnace, the wear and tear on the cars being very great, and the cost of keeping such cars in serviceable condition for use in the driers being exorbitant. Furthermore as the green brick enter the tunnels'at the ends from which the moist air is taken out, the brick often absorbs so much moisture that the lower rows are frequently melted down and partly or wholly deformed or lost before they are dried.

In carrying out the present invention, employ a novel form of platform or pallet on which green brick are piled in a relatively close formation suitable for subse quent kiln burning; then the pallet with its entire load of brick is transferred on a car or otherwise directly to the drier, which drier also isofnovel construction. In the drier the heat is applied upwardly through the stack of bricks on each pallet, the'pallets and drierbeing constructed specially to permlt of this upward drying draft so that the bottom bricks which bear the most weight commence to dry first, and therefore will be quickly out of danger from melting down or distortion. My improved drier for use with this novel system and preferably constituting a cooperative part of such system s preferably formed with the heat-supplymg means directed to flow upwardly through each pallet with its stack of green bricks thereon and also comprises an open or removable top and sides,-so'that a loaded pallet of green brick may be readily transferred directly into the drier, and the tops then positioned for the drying operation. After the brick are thus dried, the entire pallet is again transferred to the burning kiln where the brick, being already stacked in close formation for the burning, may be at once subjectedto' the kiln burning operation' without repiling. It will thus be seen that I am enabled to eliminate the two operations of piling brick first for the drying and then for the kiln burning; obviate all danger of the brick melting or becoming deformed during the drying; save the'danger to and destruction of cars in the drier; and, by the use of my novel pallets and open or removable top drier, I can transfer an entire pile of brick directly from the die forming machine to the drier and subsequently from the drier to the kiln without individual handling of the brick, without danger of the lower row becoming deformed, and with a saving of the time and work of repiling the dried brick for the kiln burning.

.The invention will be better understood from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and will be thereafter pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a horizontal section of the apparatus, different portions thereof being shown in different sectional planes;

, Figs. 2 and 3 are comple'mentai y'views, together constituting a vertical section, very much enlarged. at right anglesto Fig. 1 and atanintermediate point;

r Fig. 4: is a vertical section through a portion of the apparatus on line ll of Fig. 1, very much enlarged; I

Fig. 5 is an end view on the scale of Fig. 1, and looking from the left said figure; Fig. 6 is a plan of a platform or pallet adapted for use with the apparatus;

Fig. 7 is an elevation showing stacks of bricks in hacked formation on such pallet;

and i Fig. 8 is an end view of the stacks shown in Fig. 7.

The drier house 1, as shown, has a chimney 2 preferably located centrally thereofyand supports A' at either side of said chimney for the tracks 8, 1 for the inner ends of cranes 5, 6, the outer ends of which'travel on tracks 7, 8 at the outer sides of the drier house on'supports B, this arrangement providing for double and duplicate parts of the apparatus at each side of the central chimney. The bricks are delivered to the drier in any suitable manner, shown as by cars 9, '10 on tracks 11, 12 near each side of the drier house. These cars are adapted to receive unit stacks of bricks in hacked relationand with an arrangement adapting them to be deposited and again lifted by any suitable lifting machine. From the cars 9, 10, the brick stacks are transferred by the lifting machine supported from the cranes 5, 6 and deposited on platforms 13, 11 at each side of the apparatus, these platforms being of openwork construction and shown as formed of a series of slatted pallets 15 and providing passages to permit the hot air from beneath to pass up to circulate through all parts of the brick stacks. This platform structure may be of widely varying dimen sions, but as shown it is adapted to receive eight unit stacks in width at each side of the central. chimney and a total of twenty unit stacks in length the stacks being divided into double lines by separating walls 27 as best seen in the lower part of Fig. 1 to provide a better control of the distribution of heat, as later explained. Hot air for drying the bricks is supplied from any suitable source through a conduit system 16, and it. is impolled by blowers or fans 17, 18 through conduits 19, 20respectively at each side of the central chimney, which conduits again subdivide to form four lengthwise extending channels 21, 22, 28, 2 1 through whichthe air is forced for delivery to and up throughthe brick stacks. The channels 21, 22, 23, 24: extend substantially the full length of the drier as seen in Fig. 1, and each of these has provision for delivering the hot air in properly apportioned quantities to the several compartments, each of which holds a double line of stacked units. For this'purpose, the top of'these channels is formed as a series of downwardly sloping plates 25,. one betioned quantities.

extremities of these plates, and thus the air is supplied to each compartment in appor- To permit a regulation of air delivery to each compartment, I .provide dampers 28 adapted to partly or wholly close the air inlet to each compartment as required, and I also providemain dampers 29 each controlling he air delivery to each of the channels 21-2a respectively. Thebottoms of the channels .212-l are preferably inclined upward at a small angle toward their delivery end as seen in Fig. 4, so that the channels are of diminishing cross-section toward their outer ends. It will be observed that the main dampers 29 which con trol thedelivery of heat to the respective lengthwise channels, in conjunction with the individual dampers 28 which control thedelivery to each compartment, permit the dry-J ing action to be regulated to a nicety asrequired, the currents of'hot air being instantly shifted from one partof the mass of brick units to anotheras-requirechso that allcan be properly dried inan advantageous manner and very short time. longitudinal channels21-2l are shown as separated by vertical walls 31 which furnish a support for the brick-holding platform portions or pallets. These pallets may be formed in any-suitable manner adapted to provide the requisite passages for permi ting the airmovement up therethrough while at the same time being strongenough The several to support the brick stacks; as shown, each pallet is formed of four longitudinal bars 32 interfitted with a series of cross bars or slats 38.

' In order toeifectively control the action of the dampers 28 and to enable the same to be opened, closed, or partially so positioned,

l mount said dampers-28 on a rod50 exi tending through the partition walls on the outside (see Fig. and fit same'with a crank 51 and handle Thefriction of the bearings of the rod 50 and weight of the handle and crank will ordinarily serve to hold the dampers 28 either in closed, par.-

tially opened or fully opened position. :A

plurality of dampers for the channelson one side may thus be operated simultaneously, and'similarly the opposite side or half of the drier where a duplex drier-is utilized as illustrated in-Fig. 1. To operate the 'main dampers 29 any suitable device may be utilized, such, for example, as illustrated in Fig. 1. These dampers 29 are arranged with sectional rack bars 60 and adapted to be raised and lowered through the rotation ofa pinion 61 meshing therewith. actuated by a;

. kiln for burning.

- meager-2 crank 62 to raise, lower, or partially open each individual damper 9.9 as desired.

The unit brick stack-s thus depositedon the platform and in the several compartments provided therefor are usually covered to conserve the heat supp-1y andgin connection with the chimney, to provide a draft, and for this purpose I inclose them by a top 34s and sides or ends 35' as best illustrated in Fig. 2. These cover tops and'en'd closures are set directly upon the top of the brick walls which divide the drier into sections or compartments as stated as illus trated in Fig. 2, and they are removable by the crane or otherwise to permit free access to the several compartments by the lifting machines. For this purpose, the covering is shown as equipped with stirrups or bails 36 and the end closure with bails 37 adapting them to be picked up by the cranes and set down on the ground outside of the drier. This permits the operator to completely fill the drier and get the lifting and setting machine out at the completion of the operation, after which the end closure is replaced resting on ledge 53 (see Fig. 2) and the top put in position, making the apparatus ready for the air supply to effect the drying operation. It will be understood that, by reason of the fact that the hot air is delivered directly to each brick stack underneath the same and to all portions of the bottoms of all the stacks, it is practicable to set the bricks in the stacks for drying much closer together than has heretofore been the case when the air has been supplied sidewise to the bricks. This fact is of special significance and importance because it permits the bricks to be dried out in their regular hacked formation for burning, so that a separate handling thereof to re-stack them in a more open formation in cob-house fashion as usual is unnecessary. My improved drier is adapted to cooperate as an essential integral part of an improved general system which I have devised and which contemplates the automatic setting of the green bricks in hacked relation and in unit stacks immediately from the off-bearing belts of the brick-forming machine, preserving undisturbed the hacked relation and unit stack formation throughout their subsequent treatment and until they are deposited in the A further particularly important advantage of the present apparatus is that, as the hotair is supplied from the bottom, the bricks at the lower portion of the stacks are dried out first and therefore are quickly out of danger of melting down or distortion. In this connection, it may be noted that the present apparatus, providing means whereby the hot air circulates up through single unit brick stacks with the bricks arranged in close hacked format-ion, and thence directly out-of the housing by the chimney'draft, is'a great improvement over the previous usual tunnel arrange- 'ment whe'rein" the air circulates past' large quantitiesof the green bricks along through the'len th' of't'he tunnel. becomin so moist D in 1. An open top drier of the kind. described,

comprising a housing having a plurality of longitudinal passageways separated by walls, adapted to receive drying air currents, a plurality of transverse brick holding passages over-said channels, a removable top for the entire drier, open supports in said transverse channels to receive a unit of brick lowered thereon when the drier top is removed, a plurality of dampers opening from a plurality of positions in the longitudinal channels to said transverse drying chambers, and means to open said dampers to varying extent, whereby the air currents admitted to the brick stacks may be controlled.

2. An open top drier of the kind described, comprising a housing having a plurality of longitudinal passageways separated by walls, adapted to receive drying air currents, a plurality of transverse brick holding passages over said channels, a source of forced draft supply to the longitudinal channels, a plurality of dampers from the said channels to the transverse stack receiving portions and means to regulate a plurality of said dampers on the outside of the drier, whereby said forced draft supplied to each brick receiving chamber may be variously regulated.

3. An open top drier of the kind described, comprising a housing having a plurality of longitudinal passageways separated by walls, adapted to receive drying air currents, a plurality of transverse brick holding passages over said channels, a source of forced draft supply to thelongitudinal channels, a plurality of dampers from the said channels to the transverse stack receiving portions and means to regulate a plurality of said dampers on the outside of the drier, whereby said forced draft supplied to each brick receiving chamber may be variously regulated, and a removable top for said drier, whereby unit stacks of brick may be lowered into the same.

4. A removable top drier of the kind described, adapted to receive stacked units of brick lowered therein when the top is removed, a plurality of driving channels adapted to receive a forced draft current, means to supply forced draft therethrough,

and a plurality of passages having dampers .therein with means to regulate the extent of opening of said dampers, whereby a predetermined regulated air current is sup- 5 plied in difierent quantities to diiferent portions of the brick units contained within 7 the drier.

Washington, 11.0.

Witnesses V 1 SMART, C. P. MERTINS.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specificatlon, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

e. PENFIELD RAYMOND addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,243,212, granted October 16,

1917, upon the application of Raymond C. Penfield, of New York, N. Y., for an improvement in Open-Top-Drier Systems, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, line 126, claim 4, for the Word driving read drying; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 20th day of N ovember, A. D., 1917.

[SEAL] R. F. WHITEHEAD,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

